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“Can you hear me?” “You’re really quiet” “What was that you said?” These phrases may be all too familiar if you regularly attend Zoom meetings for work. Some of these may be internet issues, but many of them come down to the microphones being used. If you’re still using your laptop’s built-in microphone for video conferencing, you’re probably contributing to excessive background noise and audio quality problems during meetings.
Investing in an external microphone can help you improve your audio quality for Zoom meetings so that your colleagues can hear you properly. Even relatively inexpensive USB microphones can make a huge difference in terms of clarity, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good microphone.
Here at CNET, we’ve been operating in a hybrid model since before the pandemic, so we already have our favorite microphones in the bag. Here are some of the microphones we use every day when we call on Zoom. While you’re at it, consider upgrading your remote work setup with one of the the best webcams on our list.
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I’ve tried all sorts of Bluetooth single-ended headphones with boom mics and none of them sound very good. Are wired headsets really superior for Zoom, and how far do you really need to get away from a video call? The Sennheiser SC635 is a high-quality wired headset that comes in a 1/8-inch plug or USB version — I use the former for the best sound quality. Skip the wireless headphones, they put microphones on the side of your head, too far from the hole where the words are coming from.
— Brian Cooley
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Steel Series is best known for their gaming gear, but did you know they also make excellent microphones? The Alias is a dark gray pill-shaped microphone that works well with a stand. However, I found it worked best on a boom. The sound quality is excellent. If you plug in your headphones, you can use the monitoring feature to hear yourself as well as your team. There’s a simple tap mute button that shows you a big red X to let you know you’re muted. It also has cool lighting underneath because it’s a gamer at heart.
I love the Alias and it’s my favorite standalone microphone for Zoom calls.
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Not all conference calls involve sitting in front of a laptop. Sometimes you’re the person giving a presentation and you need a little freedom of movement. A lavalier microphone attaches to your collar and transmits wirelessly to a small control unit attached to your laptop.
The Lark Max comes with two microphones, with noise cancellation, and a controller that will easily connect to your iPhone, Android, or laptop (via USB-C). Sound quality is excellent, although you’ll need to speak a little louder than with a desktop microphone. The drop in sound is worth it for the freedom of movement and sound quality you get from the Lark Max. As an added bonus, the case also charges the mics and controller so you have them ready when you need them.
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I’ve been using my Blue Yeti microphone for a while now and I’ve loved every second of it. Mine sits on a nameless arm that I picked up from Amazon while reorganizing my desk, and that actually made it even more useful to me. There’s a volume knob and a mute button on the front, so I can easily mute myself during a call without reaching for a software function on my Mac.
The quality is great and has never given me any problems. I wish it used USB-C instead of Micro-USB, but since it’s something I leave plugged in all the time and don’t fiddle with, I’m not too worried about it.
— Jared Dipane
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While not specifically a microphone, Apple’s AirPods are a great way to take Zoom calls. I usually have a huge mic in front of my face for big meetings, but when you have a small meeting that’s more personal, a set of AirPods is more than enough. Most people already have a set of AirPods if they own an Apple phone, so why spend extra money if you don’t have to?
— James Bricknell
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I wish I used my Yeti Blue microphone more, but my Razer Kiyo webcam has been my work microphone throughout the pandemic. That’s mostly because it’s blue too well, it picks up the broken keystrokes from where it sits above mine mechanical keyboardwhile Kiyo just gets my voice from perching above my monitor.
That’s not a dig at the Kiyo itself, which is better than internal mics and most headphones. It’s a handy all-in-one, and given how annoying it is to switch between microphones on the half-dozen video chat platforms I use, it’s nice to have a reliable microphone always on and ready.
— David Lumb
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I need one microphone for Zoom calls, for podcasting, for presenting videos, and for doing voice-over work, and the Shure MV7’s beautiful audio quality delivers on it all. But unlike many professional condenser mics, it connects via USB directly to my computer, so I don’t have to mess around with audio interfaces or other crap. It’s simply plug-and-play, making it easy to get professional-quality recordings.
— Andrew Lankson
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